During a motor vehicle and pedestrian impact event, it is well known that forces exerted on the pedestrian's body via contact with the front bumper and fascia of the motor vehicle tend to cause the pedestrian's head to impinge upon the hood of the motor vehicle. In order to address this issue, hood lifters have been developed to increase the clearance between the hood and the topmost surface of the under hood components and thereby allow for greater hood deflection which in turn provides pedestrian protection during an impact event of the type described. Hood lifters of this type are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,735 assigned to Ford Global Technologies of Dearborn, Mich.
A hood lifter assembly of the type described is exposed to heat from the motor vehicle engine and exhaust components and water from windshield runoff, road splash and engine compartment cleaning. In some vehicles, it may not be possible to divert water effectively from the hood lifters due to packaging constraints or other reasons. This document relates to a hood lifter assembly incorporating a separate cover to protect the actuators of the hood lifter assembly from water and heat as well as improve the appearance and craftsmanship under hood.